FlutterFlow vs Bubble: The 2025 No-Code Stack for Non-Technical Founders

If you're a non-technical founder looking to build a product without writing code, you've probably encountered FlutterFlow and Bubble. Both are powerful no-code platforms. Both can get you from idea to working product faster than traditional development.

But they're not interchangeable.

Here's a practical comparison to help you choose.

What they have in common

Both FlutterFlow and Bubble let you build functional applications with visual, drag-and-drop interfaces. Both support user authentication, database management, API integrations, and responsive design. Both have active communities and extensive documentation.

For many use cases, either would work.

The key differences

FlutterFlow is built on Flutter, Google's open-source UI framework. It produces native mobile apps (iOS and Android) and web apps from a single codebase. Crucially, you can export the underlying Dart/Flutter code – giving you an "escape hatch" if you later want to hand off to developers or customise beyond what the platform supports.

Bubble is a web-first platform with its own proprietary system. It excels at building web applications quickly and has a mature ecosystem of plugins and templates. However, Bubble apps run on Bubble's infrastructure, and there's no way to export your application as standalone code. You're locked into the platform.

In the real world, this difference matters more than it might seem.

The escape hatch question

For founders, the escape hatch question is critical.

If your product succeeds, you'll eventually face pressure to add features, improve performance, or integrate with systems that stretch your no-code platform's limits. At that point, you have two options: stay within the platform's constraints, or migrate to custom development.

With FlutterFlow, migration is possible because you can export clean code. With Bubble, migration means rebuilding from scratch.

This doesn't make Bubble bad. If your use case fits comfortably within Bubble's capabilities and you're happy to stay on the platform long-term, it's a powerful choice. But if you anticipate outgrowing no-code, FlutterFlow's portability is a significant advantage.

Performance and use case fit

For mobile-first products – especially those requiring native performance, offline functionality, or app store distribution – FlutterFlow is usually the better fit.

For complex web applications with lots of business logic, workflows, and integrations – especially internal tools and marketplaces – Bubble's maturity and plugin ecosystem often win.

A sensible rule of thumb

Choose FlutterFlow if your primary product is a mobile app, or if you want the option to transition to custom Flutter development later.

Choose Bubble if you're building a web-first product, especially an internal tool or marketplace, and you're comfortable committing to the platform.

The platform is there to serve your idea – not the other way round.

The bottom line

There's no universally "better" platform. The right choice depends on what you're building, how you expect it to evolve, and how much lock-in you're willing to accept.

Start with your product requirements, not platform features. Let the use case drive the decision.

If you'd like help choosing the right no-code stack for your product, get in touch.